Don’t refrigerate these foods

Though refrigerators are great preservers of foods like eggs and milk, they’re not really necessary for storing a slew of other things. But how do you know which products can survive and thrive at room temperature and which can’t? With the help of science, we’ve rounded up a list of the top 20.
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Tomatoes

According to the Farmers’ Almanac, these juicy fruits are best kept at room temperature; chilling them to below 12 degrees Celsius (or 54 degrees Fahrenheit) compromises the red treats’ flavour and texture

Marmite

Salty food spreads like Marmite can be stored on shelves for several months. Research shows the product’s high salt content will keep it from going mouldy. (Salt acts as a preservative!)

Ketchup (and most other condiments)

People debate whether this condiment should be kept in the fridge or cupboard, but it really comes down to taste: do you like your ketchup cold or at room temperature? Because the red liquid is high in sodium, it can be stored on a shelf for about a month.

Bananas

Bananas are another hot button “should-you-put-them-in-the-fridge” food item, but the answer once again comes down to personal preference. Science has found the ripening process of bananas slows down when the fruit is exposed to cool temperatures; meaning bananas kept in the fridge will stay relatively unripe. If you want yours to be more yellow than green, keep them on the counter.

Basil

The delicate herb loses its flavour and texture when exposed to cold temperatures, so keeping it in the fridge is a big no-no. You should either grow it as a plant or dry the leaves or flash-freeze them.

Marmite

Salty food spreads like Marmite can be stored on shelves for several months. Research shows the product’s high salt content will keep it from going mouldy. (Salt acts as a preservative!)

Avocado

This little green fruit is used to growing in warm temperatures, so putting one in the fridge will slow the ripening process way down. Avocados last between two to three days in the fridge; after that, their flavour and texture becomes compromised.

Bread (and other doughy items like bagels)

There is nothing better than biting into a piece of fresh baked bread—and nothing worse than doing the same to a piece that’s been pulled from the fridge. The natural ingredients that go into dough don’t fare well in cold temps, so putting slices in the fridge dries them out. Store your loaf on a shelf instead.

Potatoes

Potatoes don’t thrive in cold climates, be they sweet or regular. Why? According to the Farmers’ Almanac, low temperatures wreak havoc on the food’s natural starches, meaning they grow old and lose flavour when refrigerated. The organization advises that people store them in a paper bag at room temp instead.

Coffee

The National Coffee Association says coffee’s greatest enemies are “air, moisture, heat and light.” Since fridges are packed with humidity, they should be considered a no-go for storage. The organization suggests beans be stored in airtight containers instead.

Plums

Known as a stone fruit, meaning they have a large pit, plums behave like peaches when they’re refrigerated—they wither up and won’t ripen. If you love the fresh flavour of plums, it’s best you store them on a shelf at room temperature.

Maple syrup

Fun fact: the sugars in some maple syrup crystallize when exposed to cool temperatures. That’s why you’ll notice the product’s texture changes in the fridge. Though you can work to restore the item to its original form, it’s always advised you keep it at room temperature.

Honey

Much like the ones in maple syrup, the sugars in honey have a mini-freakout when they get too cold, which can cause the product to harden or lose flavour in the fridge. Unless you want to dig deeply into a jar of the sweet liquid each time you need it for tea or a recipe, it’s advised you store it on a cupboard shelf.

Butter

According to Jeff Potter, a food science expert and author of Cooking for Geeks, butter is a food that can be stored in the fridge and at room temperature. “Butter is right on the threshold as for whether it’s safe unrefrigerated, and salt lowers the water available [to the bacteria],” he told TheStreet. “Unsalted butter should be refrigerated, but salted butter should be OK out on the counter.”

Cucumber

If you think “cool as a cucumber” accurately describes how you should store the food, you’d be wrong. Based on research done by Fruits and Veggies More Matters, they’re one of many items that lose their luster when refrigerated. Store them on your counter away from direct sunlight.